SPOKANE, Wash. — A new multi-family affordable housing complex in Hillyard is expected to become home to 48 families and approximately 150 people of all ages by October 2020.
Empire Health Foundation and Spokane Housing Ventures announced their joint investment in Jayne Auld Manor on Tuesday morning. Construction has already begun on the complex located at 6228 N. Lacey St. in Spokane.
Funding for the complex was made possible with public and private funds, Empire Health said. Partners include the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, Banner Bank, National Equity Fund, Inc., Washington State Department of Commerce Housing Trust Fund and City of Spokane HOME funds.
In August 2018, KREM reported that Spokane Housing Ventures secured funds from the City of Spokane to dedicate the low-income housing to Jayne Auld.
Auld dedicated her life to serving low-income families in Spokane and was an important member in developing the nonprofit Spokane Housing Ventures.
Both organizations say they forged the partnership in response to the housing crisis in Spokane County, where affordable housing accounts for less than 1% of the local market.
“This is a homelessness prevention project. The families who will live here deserve this new chance for safety and stability, on the path towards self-reliant citizenship in Hillyard,” said John Hancock, Executive Director of Spokane Housing Ventures.
In Spokane County, the average median income (AMI) for a four-person household is $71,700, according to Empire Health.
The new complex will specifically target workforce households, with 43 of the apartments reserved for households at or below 60% of the county AMI. Four apartments will be reserved for households at or below 30% of the AMI, 10 households for families with four or more people and five apartments reserved for those with disabilities.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says families who pay more than 30% of their income for housing are considered “cost-burdened” and may have difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation and medical care.
In late August, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined Spokane leaders and housing advocates as part of her push for new federal resources to address affordable housing.
The visit came as Cantwell is trying to raise support for dual bills about the Affordable Housing Tax Credit, which would create nearly 1.9 million new affordable housing units over the next decade – including more than 9,700 in Washington state.
At that meeting, City Council President and mayoral candidate Ben Stuckart said that Spokane has a "housing crisis at all levels," noting the 2% vacancy rate in the city and 800 individuals with housing vouchers.
